Cures
by Rationale
Summary: The episode Blood Brothers with a twist. Hawkeye has to tell a soldier that he has leukemia. This is an HM friendship, not romance, sorry!
1. I Don't Know

Disclaimer: Don't own. I want to, but I don't. If anyone can help me with that....  
  
A/N: OK, I just watched the episode "Blood Brothers", and it inspired this fanfic. I forgot the names of the soldiers, so bear with me, I changed the names. I hope you like it, and yes, this is a little H/M-ish, more friendship than romance. And now, here's the fic!  
  
Cures  
  
Hawkeye glanced into the microscope. Heaving a sigh, he dropped his head into his hands.  
  
"Oh God," he said quietly.  
  
Just then, BJ came into the lab, a smile on his face. It quickly faded when he saw his friend.  
  
"Hawk, what's wrong?" He asked in concern.  
  
Hawkeye turned to him, and motioned to the microscope. Confused, BJ slowly looked in. He stared for several seconds, before turning to Hawkeye.  
  
"Is that...."  
  
Hawkeye nodded, and said quietly, "It's leukemia."  
  
"What's his blood count?"  
  
Hawkeye sighed. "Over a hundred thousand."  
  
"Whose blood is this?"  
  
"Private Wilkins. He wanted to donate blood to a friend." He glanced at the microscope. "I guess that won't happen now."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
Hawkeye said defeatedly, "I don't know. How do you tell a kid he's going to die?"  
  
BJ sighed. "I don't know."  
  
Hawkeye got up, and slowly made his way outside.  
  
BJ asked curiously, "Where are you going."  
  
Hawkeye glanced at him. "I don't even know the answer to that."  
  
With that, he left. 


	2. Instincts

Disclaimer: (to the tune of Gee Ma I Wanna go Home)  
Gee Ma, I wanna own it  
But they won't let me have it  
Gee Ma, I wanna own MASH!! But I don't so please don't sue, OK? OK.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
It was nighttime in Korea. It was unusually quiet: there was no gunfire, or mortar explosions, or, most importantly, choppers.  
  
But no wounded didn't mean people's minds weren't on medicine.  
  
Hawkeye sat alone in the Mess Tent, staring vacantly ahead. His thoughts were focused on Private Wilkins, so he didn't hear Margaret come into the Mess Tent for some coffee.  
  
When she saw him, she walked over and sat down across from him.  
  
"What's wrong, Pierce?" she queried.  
  
When he didn't respond, she prodded, "What's wrong?"  
  
He turned to face her. His eyes were tired and weary.  
  
"I just had to tell a kid that he has leukemia."  
  
Margaret gasped. "Leukemia? Are you sure?"  
  
"I stared into the microscope for ten minutes today. I'm positive."  
  
"Oh, that's terrible. What are you going to do?"  
  
Hawkeye laughed bitterly. "What is there I can do, other than send him to Soul, and even they can't do anything."  
  
Margaret said, "But they can help him, maybe send him into remission. Something."  
  
"That's what I told him, but who am I kidding? There's no cure to leukemia."  
  
"Then there's nothing you can do, if there's no cure." Margaret said simply.  
  
"I'm a doctor. It goes against everything I stand for, to say, 'Take nothing and call me in the morning.' I'm supposed to heal people, not just stand around and watch them die. But I just had to tell a kid that he's going to die, and there's nothing I can do to help him."  
  
Margaret looked Hawkeye straight in the eye.  
  
"All you can do is follow your instincts, Hawkeye."  
  
He got up, and said, "My instincts are to heal him."  
  
Then he walked out, leaving Margaret staring after him. 


	3. Out of Our Hands

"Wilkins, you have to go to Soul. They can help you there, maybe get your leukemia into remission, and-"  
  
Wilkins interrupted. "Who do you think your kidding? They can't do anything for me there. You're a doctor, so you know: there's no cure to leukemia! I know my being here is helping Dan. I'm staying here with him. He's my friend. I have to be there for him."  
  
Hawkeye started to speak, but Wilkins interrupted again. "You can't convince me, Doc. I'm staying."  
  
Hawkeye sighed. "OK. You just rest. I'll come check on you later."  
  
Wilkins said nothing, and Hawkeye got up, and went outside.  
  
Margaret, who was one of the nurses on duty, saw him walk out, and whispered to Kellye, "Can you handle this place for a minute? I have something I need to take care of."  
  
"No problem, Major." Kellye watched curiously as Margaret followed Hawkeye out.  
  
Margaret went through the Post-Op door, and saw Hawkeye leaning against the wall nearby.  
  
"Pierce."  
  
He glanced at her, then resumed staring ahead.  
  
"What were you talking to Private Wilkins about?"  
  
"Trying to get him to go up to Soul, so they can treat him."  
  
When he didn't continue, Margaret urged, "What did he say?"  
  
Hawkeye sighed, and said, "He won't go. Says he has to stay here with his friend."  
  
"So what are you going to do?"  
  
"I can't do anything!" Hawkeye said angrily. "We can't do anything for him here, we don't have the equipment." He stopped, and added in a quiet voice, "We can't do anything at all."  
  
"You just have to accept that there's nothing you can do, Hawkeye."  
  
Hawkeye looked at her, and said, "Margaret, do you know why I became a doctor?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"I became a doctor, because, all my life, I've wanted to help people. Part of it's because my dad's a doctor. When I was little, I always saw him at the hospital, helping people, fixing them up. I wanted to be just like him. The other reason is because of my mother. When she died, I wanted to keep what happened to her form happening to others. I wanted to stop kids from losing their moms, like I did."  
  
He turned to her. "I took an oath to heal people. I'm supposed to save them, and now, I can't do anything. You said follow my instincts? My instincts are to heal him, and I can't do that. No one can."  
  
"That's just it, Hawkeye," she said eagerly. "No one can. It's not your fault."  
  
"The rational part of me knows that. It's out of my hands. The other part of me, the doctor part of me, want to heal him."  
  
"But you can't."  
  
"But I can't." He said simply.  
  
They stood in silence for a few minutes, then Margaret spoke.  
  
"So now what are you going to do?"  
  
He sighed. "Let him stay here, I guess. I can't make him go, and, who knows, maybe it will do him some good to be near his friend. There's nothing else we can do."  
  
Margaret nodded, then after a moment, asked, "You feel any better about this?"  
  
He thought a moment, then said, "You know what? I do." He smiled at her, and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Thanks Margaret."  
  
She smiled back. "Anytime." They walked back into Post-Op, and for the first time in days, Hawkeye was smiling.  
  
THE END  
  
A/N: So, what did you think?? To any H/M fans out there, this is NOT going to be continued as a romance, this was just a piece focusing on their friendship. Sorry to disappoint you. I've got a few other H/M fics out there, if you haven't already read them. I hope you liked the story, and please, click on the little purple button just below and REVIEW!!! Thanks!! 


End file.
